Motion-picture film splicer



Oct. 25, 1949. v G. LAUBE AL I I 2,486,040

MOTION-PICTURE FILM SPLICER Filed Dec. 10, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I/VVf/VTOQJ GROVLQ LAUBE WILL/4M A. IV007Z-7l/ I] TTORN Patented Oct. 25, 1949 MOTION -PICTURE FILM SPLICER Grover Laube'and William A. Wootten, Los Angeles; Calif., assignors to Twentieth Century- Fox Film Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of New York Application December 10, 1945, Serial No. 633,902

10 Claims. (Cl. 15442.1)

This invention relates to the motion 1 picture artand dealswith a means applicable to the standard '35 mm. film splicing machine used in this art'wherebythe standard machine may be is not a part of this invention. As illustrated in the various views, the device comprises means for accurately locating two strips of 35 min. film for splicing together, and additional means for accuconvertedto a 16 mm. film splicer' or may be 5 rately placing two strips of 16mm. film for splicused as'a standard 35mm; film splicer as desired. ing together on the same machine. The said I ordinary practice throughout the motion means for locating 16 mm. film is easily and picture industry, 35 mm.-film is'edited after bequickly placed in an out-of-the-way position ing processed by cutting out various sections and when not in use to prevent its interfering with joining'th'e cut ends by means of accurate standthe operation of splicing 35 mm. film. ardized splices. These splices are customarily Referring to Figure 1, the plate generally desmade upon a 35 mm; film splicing machine which ignated 5 supports the end of a 35 mm. film strip isa iece'of mechanism well known 5 which is introduced from the left side and in the art." Dueto the fact that. more and more placed on locating pins 2 and 3 which project 16- mm. film .is-coming-into use in. professional 5 through holes 29 in plate I andinto opposite motion picture-work, .a' need has arisen for a sprocket holes-in the film 5. A 35 mm: film' strip satisfactory methodof splicing 16 mm. film as end 6 is then brought in from the right side'and well as 35 mm. film without duplicating .the'relaplaced on the same locating pins 2 ancl3. Film tively bulky equipment required for this work. 6 is guided between two upstanding projections It istherefore the object of our invention to pro- 4 and is now precisely aligned withfilm'strip '5 vide a. simple, inexpensive means formodifying for splicing. The foregoing is general customary t ndard 35 mm. film splicing machine so that procedure for locating and aligning two pieces it will function either as a 16 mm. film splicing of film for splicing. hin or a a 35 mm, film splicer, thereby elim- In splicing 16 mm. film on the same machine, inating the need for additionalcomplicated equipadditional means are provided for aligning and merit in studio cuttin rooms for performing this guiding the two ends of the film to be joined service (see Figure 7). A it mm. film strip end I is Further objects and advantages will become brought in from the left, placed on support plate evident as the description proceeds in conjunc- I, and located on pin 8 which projects through tion with the drawing, in which: a hole 30 in plate I and into a sprockethole in Figure 1 is a plan view- .of the film locating the film. It is to be understood that one or more mechanism upon which fragmentary parts of pins may be used for the purpose of locating the mm. film are shown for splicing; film as'shown in Figure 6. Film l 'is heldbe- Figure 2 is a front elevation of Figure 1; tween upstanding projections 9. Another 16 mm. Figure 3 is a right end elevation of Figure 2, 35 film If) to be spliced to the oneon the left is introlooking in the direction of arrows 3--3 of Figure ducedfrom the right, placed on pin 8 by means 2,showin g both 16mm. and 35 mm. guide plates; of a'sprocket hole in thefilm and guided between Figure 4 is a section takenon'1ine4-4 in Figupstanding ears H on plate I3. While the prere 2'; ferredform of our invention is shown with guide Figurefi is a view similar to Figured with part 40 plates 12 and I3, the use of a plurality of locatof the cover plate removed to show the-operation ing pins 8 and 8!, Figure 6, wil1 make the maof the filmlocating pin plate; chine operate satisfactorily. without the guide Figurefi is afragmentaryview similar to Figplates. It can be seen that the conventional ures 4 and 5 and showsa slightly modified form pins 2 and 3. and upstanding guides 4 do not of our invention; interfere with 16 mm. film while it is being ap- Figure 7 is a view similarto Figure 1 showing pliedfor splicing. how 16 mm. film would be spliced; and Figure In order to obviate interference with the oper- 8 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the cam ation of splicing 35 mm. film, the means for arrangement showing parts I9, 20, 26, and 21 aligning and guiding 16 mm. film are manually more in detail; adjustable to. an out-of-the-way position when Briefly stated, this invention covers a film not in use. Upstanding guides 9 and II are pro splicing plate having'film locating pins whereby jections of plates l2 and i3 respectively, better either 16mm. or 35 mm. film, or any other 'comshown in Figure 3.. Plates l2 and I3 are rotatbin'ation of films; may be accurately located and ablymounted on plates land I respectively and guided'for splicing. The slicing operation itself held in position against stop pins I5 and ll by means of thumb screws I 4 and I respectively. While 35 mm. film is being spliced, plates l2 and I3 are rotated around their holding screws and dropped down as indicated in dotted lines, Figure 3. It can be seen in Figure 4 and Figure 5 that film locating pins 2, 3, and '8 are upstanding projections and extensions of plate I8 which may be held in two positions by means of cam l9. The handle 20 operates cam I9 through shaft 26 and is held in position by the detent 21 and curved spring washer 28. This feature is shown in Figure 8. When cam 19 is placed in the position shown in Figure 4, it allows plate I8 to rise until pin 8 projects above the surface of plate I far enough to serve as a locating pin for 16 mm. film. Pin 8 may be retracted by placing cam handle 26 in position shown in Figure 5, thus holding pin 8 beneath the surface of plate I and allowing 35 mm. film to be placed on plates I and I without interference with said pin. It is pointed out that pins 2 and 3, which are the conventional locating pins for 35 mm. film, are long enough to remain above the surface of plate I when sliding pin plate 18 has been partially lowered as in Figure 5 by means of cam H! to a position where pin 8 does not appear above the surface of plate I. The handle 2i held b pivot screw 22 is employed to lower plate i8, by means of pin 23 operating in slot 24, still farther for the purpose of stripping the film off of the locating pins 2 and 3 or 8 after a splice has been completed. The actuating end of handle 2! is urged upward by the spring 25 which causes sliding plate 18 to maintain constant pressure against cam it. It can thus be seen that by partially lowering or raising pin 8 by means of cam 19 and by placing guide plates l2 and I3 in their proper positions, either 16 mm. or 35 mm. film may be accurately located for splicing.

We claim:

1. In a motion picture film splicing machine, a plate adapted to receive strips of film to be spliced, a pin carrying plate having a set of long locating pins adapted to project through said plate and fit in sprocket holes of said film strips, a second set of short locating pins mounted on said pin carrying plate adapted to project through said plate and fit in sprocket holes of film of another Width to be spliced, and means for moving said pin carrying plate to cause said first mentioned pins to project through said plate prior to said second mentioned set of pins,

2. In a motion picture film splicing machine, a plate adapted to receive the ends of strips of film to be spliced, a pin carrying plate having a set of long locating pins adapted to project through said plate and fit in sprocket holes of said film strips, a second set of short locating pins mounted on said pin carrying plate adapted to project through said plate and fit in sprocket holes at the ends of strips of film of another width to be spliced, means for moving said locating pins to cause said first mentioned pins to project through said plate prior to said second mentioned set of pins, and means for optionally stopping the movement of said pins to prevent said second set of pins projecting through said plate.-

3. In a motion picture film splicing machine, a plate adapted to receive film, a pin carrying plate having a set of long locating pins adapted to project through said plate and fit in sprocket holes in film on said plate, a second set of short locating pins adapted to project through said plate and fit in sprocket holes in another width film, and means for retracting said second men-,

tioned film locating pins substantially below the surface of said film receiving plate and leaving said first mentioned film locating pins projecting through said plate.

4. In a motion picture film splicing machine, a plate adapted to receive film to be spliced, a spring-pressed, reciprocably mounted slide bar having a long set and a short set of film locating pins thereon arranged to project through openings in said plate, and manually controlled cam means for predetermining the movement of said reciprocably mounted slide bars to allow only the long set of pins to project through said plate.

5. In a motion picture film splicing machine, a plate adapted. to receive film to be spliced, a spring-pressed, reciprocably mounted slide bar having two sets of film locating pins thereon adapted to pass through openings in said plate, means for normally forcing said pins to project through said openings in said plate, one of said sets of pins being shorter than the other, and manually operable cam means for adjusting the movement of said slide bar so that the shorter set of pins will be held beneath the surface of said plate while the longer set projects through said plate.

6. In a motion picture film splicing machine, a plate adapted to receive film to be spliced, a reciprocably mounted slide bar having two different length sets of film locating pins thereon adapted to pass through openings in said plate, means for normally forcing said pins to project through said openings in said plate, and means for holding said bar in a fixed predetermined position whereby the set ofS h0L JeLpins.will be held beneath the surface of said plate and the set of longer pins will project therethrough,

7. In a motion picture film splicing machine, a plate adapted to receive film to be spliced, a reciprocably mounted slide bar having two diiferent length sets of film locating pins thereon adapted to pass through openings in said plate, means for normally forcing said pins to project through said openings in said plate, and means for holding said bar in a fixed predetermined position whereby the set of shorter pins will be held beneath the surface of said plate and the set or longer pins will project therethrough, said last mentioned means including a manually operated cam having two positions thereon for holding said bar, one whereby only the set of longer pins project through said plate and the other whereby both sets of pins project through said plate.

8. In a motion picture film splicing machine a film receiving plate, a pin carrying plate movable relative to said film receiving plate, said pin carrying plate having two sets of film locating pins thereon of different lengths adapted to engage sprocket holes in film of different widths respectively, and means for selectively adjusting the movement of said pin carrying member relative to said film receiving plate so that one set of pins or both sets of pins projects through said film receiving plate.

9. In a motion picture film splicing machine a film receiving'plate, a pin carrying plate having a set of long pins and a set of short pins thereon adapted to engage sprocket holes in films of diiferent widths respectively, means for moving said pin carrying plate relative to said film receiving plate to project said sets of pins through said film receiving plate, and means for stopping the movement of said pin carrying member so 2,486,040 5 6 that the set of long pins only projects through REFERENCES CITED said film receiving plate.

10. In a motion picture film splicing machine a film receiving plate, a pin carrying plate having The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

a set of long pins and a set of short pins thereon 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS adapted to engage sprocket holes in films of Number Name Date different Widths respectively, means for moving 1 275 431 Howell 3 913 said pin carrying plate relative to said film re- 1396895 Stolz 1921 ceiving plate to project said sets of pins through 1806887 Bruno- May 93 said film receiving plate, and means for selectively l0 1981332 Rohrdafnzh 2 934 adjusting the movement of said pin carrying 2295759 suter June 94 plate so that only the set of long pins projects u through said film receiving plate or both long and FOREIGN PATENTS short set of pins project through the said plate Number Country D t at th a time. 15 288,123 Great Britain Apr. 19, 1928 GROVER LAUBE. WILLIAM A. WOOTTEN. 

